16 Types Of Red Moths (Pictures And Identification Guide)

There are more than one hundred and sixty thousand different moth species in the world, some of them are brilliant in color and pattern.

We have listed the most common red moths you may encounter, helping you identify them. Continue reading to find out more about the red moths of the world.

1. Ceanothus Silk Moth

The Ceanothus Silk Moth (Hyalophora euryalus) is red to brown red with narrow postmedian lines in red on a white background. The cell spot on the hind wing is an elongated comma shape.

They can grow to 12.7cm in wing span.

The female will glue a single egg on a leaf on a host plant. The eggs take around fourteen days to hatch and then the caterpillar eats the leaves. They fly from January to July. As caterpillars, they feed on a variety of plants including mountain mahogany, buckbrush, gooseberry, and willows, interestingly they do not feed as adults.

Ceanothus Silk Moth

These moths are common in chaparral, conifer forests, and coastal areas in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Montana, and California.

2. Inornate Pyrausta Moth

Inornate Pyrausta Moth

This (Pyrausta inornatalis) is a beautiful pink moth that belongs to the Crambidae family. They are pink with a yellow pattern. Their patterns vary and are considered small moths. They have gently curved wings with short fringes.

It was first described in 1885 and is common in the United States, found in Arizona, California, Florida, Kansas, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. They have also been observed in Mexico.

They grow to 13mm in wingspan and are often seen from March to November.

3. Ruby Tiger Moth

Ruby Tiger Moth

The ruby tiger moth (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) has a hairy body and a dark red/brown head and thorax. There are rows of black spots on the red abdomen and their wings are translucent. Their fore wings are a dull red/brown, while the hind wings are pale pink with a black spot.

These moths can grow to 3.4cm in wing span. The caterpillar will feed on goldenrods, skunk cabbage, sunflowers, and other plants. They are common in North America.

4. Coffee-loving Pyrausta Moth

Coffee-loving Pyrausta Moth

The Coffee-loving Pyrausta Moth (Pyrausta tyralis) belongs to the Crambidae family and was first described in 1854. They are commonly found in the United States from New York and Illinois to Florida and Arizona. They are also found in Venezuela and Mexico, along with the West Indies.

They grow to a wingspan of 17mm and are encountered throughout the year. They are red/pink moths with yellow patterns on their wings. It usually has two broad wavy yellow lines across the wings, helping with identification.

5. Southern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth

Anisota pellucida
Southern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth. Image by Laura Gaudette via inaturalist

The Southern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth (Anisota pellucida) is large, growing to 6.6cm in wing span. The female is larger than the male. Females are orange with pale purple on the upper side of the wings and scattered black specs. The males are dark brown with red on their hind wings and a white spot on their fore wings.

They fly during the day and females lay their eggs in groups under the leaves on oak trees. The caterpillars feed as groups, hiding in underground burrows during the winter months. They are common from June to July in the north and May to September in the south. Many broods throughout the year in Florida.

The southern pink-striped oak worm moth is seen in suburbs, tree-lined city streets, and deciduous woodlands. They can be encountered from Minnesota to Florida and the Gulf Coast, Texas, and Nova Scotia.

6. Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth

Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth

The Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia miniata) belongs to the Erebidae family and was first described in 1837. This beautiful moth can be found in British Columbia, the Rocky Mountains, Arizona, and Texas. They are also common in eastern North America.

They grow to 17mm in wingspan and are red with two gray stripes. They have red hind wings. They tend to fly from July to August in the west and April to September n the east. As larvae, they feed on lichen growing on the trees, usually pines.

They camouflage beautifully into the lichen that they feed on. They are usually seen on stones and boulders, while caterpillars feed on lichen until they pupate. The adult back and red moth emerges in springtime and is found near pine forests and woodlands.

They are nocturnal and are often seen as they are attracted to artificial light.

7. Spotted Oleander Moth

Spotted Oleander Moth

The Spotted Oleander Moth (Empyreuma pugione) is a caterpillar moth belonging to the Arctiinae family. They are common in the West Indies and have been introduced to Florida. They grow to 48mm in wing span with chocolate brown fore wings and bright red between the coastal and sub-coastal plains.

The hind wings are red with a deep brown border. They are often encountered flying throughout the day. As larvae, they are orange and hairy.

8. Variable Reddish Pyrausta Moth

Variable Reddish Pyrausta Moth

The Variable Reddish Pyrausta Moth (Pyrausta clericalisms) belongs to the Crambidae family and was first described in 1796 by Jacob Hubner. It is commonly found in North America, usually in Florida, Illinois, New York, and Louisiana.

They grow to around 15mm in wing span and are more common from March to October. This is a very pretty moth, which is a burned orange / red color with stunning patterns on its wings.

9. Hummingbird Clearwing

Hummingbird Clearwing

The appearance of the Hummingbird Clearwing moth (Hemaris thysbe) is variable. They are olive to a gold/olive on their thorax, yellow centrally and the abdomen is a dark burgundy. Wings are clear with a red/brown border with dark veins.

These are large moths, which can grow to 5.5cm in wing span. They fly during the day, where they are seen hovering at flowers, and sipping the nectar. The caterpillars pupate in a cocoon, which is spun at the soil surface.

They are more common from March to June and then again from August to October in the south and April to August in the north. As caterpillars, they feed on snowberry, cherries and plums, and honeysuckle. As adults, they feed on the nectar of a variety of flowers.

This moth can be found in the Northwest Territories and Alaska, along with Oregon, British Columbia, Great Lakes, and the Great Plains. They are also common in Maine, Florida, Texas, and Newfoundland.

10. Yellow-banded Pyrausta

Yellow-banded Pyrausta

The Yellow-banded Pyrausta (Pyrausta pseuderosnealis) is a moth belonging to the Crambidae family, which was first described in 1976. They are common in the United States and Mexico and have been seen in California, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Iowa, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Illinois, and Missouri.

This is a small moth that grows to 15mm in wing span and is mostly encountered from January to October. This moth is red with a yellow-gold pattern on the wings, which forms a wavy line.

11. Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth

Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth

The Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth (Cosmosoma myrodora) is easily identified with its bright red body and transparent wings. It has a metallic blue line on its abdomen, widening to cover the tip of the abdomen. The veins and fore and hind wing margins are black.

These moths grow to 3.5cm in wing span and can be seen throughout the year in southern Florida. The caterpillars are seen climbing hemp weed. They belong to the Erebidae family and have striking coloration. They are completely harmless to humans.

As an adult, their thorax, abdomen, and legs are bright red. The head is metallic blue with large eyes and black antennae. It has fast-moving wings, which makes it look like a wasp, making it appear very intimidating.

12. Assam Silkmoth

Assam Silkmoth

Assam Silkmoths (Antheraea assamensis), also known as Muga Silkworms, belong to the Saturnidae family and were first described in 1837. They are found in Assam in northeast India, where ninety-nine percent of this moth’s population is found.

As larvae, they feed on magnolias, cinnamon, Laurus, Symplocos, and Quercus, among others. Its silk is a glossy golden color, improving with age, known as tussar silk. It is completely stained resistant. Originally the silk was only used by Assam elites.

The female Assam silkmoth is larger than the male and has slender antennae. They are vibrant in color. Its silk has since become a potential use for bio-material, used in tissue engineering applications.

This is a beautiful moth, burgundy in color with burgundy wings. The wings have a light dusky pink on the borders and lighter dots on the darker areas. As caterpillars, they are bright green with spikes on their backs.

13. Clover Hayworm Moth

Clover Hayworm Moth

The Clover Hayworm Moth (Hypsopygia costalis) belongs to the Pyralidae family and was first described in 1775. it is common in Europe, growing to 23mm in wing span. As adults, they occur from May to June, based on their location.

As caterpillars, they feed on dry vegetable matter and are often seen on haystacks and thatched roofs. This moth is a mix of dark red and gold. The body and wings are a dark red to brown color that is bordered by a gold fringe and two dots on each wing. The antennae and legs are also a beautiful gold coloration.

14. The Rosy Footman

The Rosy Footman

The Rosy Footman Moth (Miltochrista miniata) belongs to the Erebidae family and was first described in 1771. They are found in temperate climates in Europe, Asia, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Inner Mongolia, Korea, and Japan, among others.

These moths grow to 27mm in wing span and are a peach color with red margins on the fore wing. There are black elongated spots just before the margin. They are very common in woodland habitats, where they fly between July and August. They are attracted to artificial light, making them regular visitors to homes.

As caterpillars, they feed on lichens, which grow on trees. They are common in the southern half of Britain, along with seaboard countries. They are not as common in Leicestershire and Rutland.

15. Phauda flammans

Phauda flammans
Phauda flammans. Image by Toby Y via inaturalist

The phauda flammans moth is a problematic pest. As a caterpillar, they are responsible for the defoliation of Ficus trees. The female moth lays her eggs on the leaves, right at the top of a tree and the larvae then feed on the foliage.

Once the larvae are mature, it comes down the tree and cocoons in the soil, or cracks found at the base of the tree. The defoliation they cause is serious and can fatal to the tree.

It starts with the first cycle, which is at the start of spring, March or April, this is when the adults emerge from hibernation and start reproducing. In the second cycle, the adult moths are active in May to June, and their larvae feed on the foliage from June and July.

The third cycle is from August to September, where the larvae feed on the foliage from September to October. There is sometimes a fourth cycle, based on weather conditions, which will take place in November. Once the cold weather begins, the larvae cocoon and remain dormant until spring.

The larvae are brown and green and are found around the tree trunks. If they are found climbing down the tree, they have already eaten the leaves and are now looking for a place to hide. As adults, they have red and black wings.

16. Retina rubrivitta

Retina rubrivitta

Retina Rubivitta feeds on Aporusia dioica. This moth has more than three hundred and ninety-two observations. It is a beautiful moth of red and black. When it is resting with the wings closed, you will see a black center line with red wings.

When they fly, they become spectacular. They have black bodies, legs, and antennae. The hind wings are also black without any patterns or colorations. The fore wings are what sets this moth apart. The fore wings are black with a wide red band in the center.

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